Wednesday, June 9

"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." — Marilyn Monroe

You may be wondering what this quote has to do with making risotto. It has everything to do with it, my friends, everything. Risotto is a notoriously high maintenance dish to make...its time consuming and requires a lot of constant attention. It demands a lot of you as the cook (dare I say, chef?) to nurture it and take care of it properly so as not to ruin it. BUT, when its done properly, risotto is one of the creamiest, most delicious things around.

This weekend, I had my first experience cooking the infamous dish. I found this amazing recipe from epicurious and figured it'd be the perfect welcome home meal for Sean!

Now many people are daunted by the task of making this meal...Sean's first comment when I told him of my meal plans? "Oh man, that takes forever, are you sure that's what you want to make?" I was sure. I had committed to this meal and I was ready to take on the challenge. High-maintenance Risotto- you've met your match. So I mixed all the ingredients together and started to watch the magic happen. About 10 minutes into the continuous stirring process (don't you love the technical way I describe my cooking? I'm pretty much the next Iron Chef), I had an ephiphany.

Risotto is the perfect meal for me. You see, I am a teensy bit of a control freak (just a little bit, you know...like a dictator, but without the cool hats and oppression upon millions of people). When I am cooking, I have a hard time walking away from the meal and letting it do its thang. I constantly check on the food, much to its own detriment. I have dried out many a chicken and de-crisped a multitude of roasted vegetables by peeking into the oven too many times. So as I stood there, in my designated stirring spot (I really am a culinary artist with these descriptions), I realized that Risotto is an obsessive, compulsive person's DREAM.

I HAVE to stand by the stove top, continuously checking on it and stirring it- it's an essential, mandatory part of the recipe. Yesssssss! I am in heaven! I can control and obsess, guilt-free, and STILL make a delicious dinner all at the same time.

So, my dear risotto, you may be selfish and impatient...but thats okay with me. So am I. I love and accept you for who you are. Even at your worst, you are full of buttery, parmesan cheesey, creamy deliciousness. Let's be bffs. forever. for life. mmmm kay?

I too finally conquered risotto after avoiding it for many years because I was convinced that I was not up to the challenge. What I have never been able to figure out is how do (and maybe "why") Italian restaurants manage to put risotto on their menu given that is is a high maintenance, constant attention dish? I have actually tried a few risottos at very good Italian restaurants but they have always been disappointing.